---
title: Passportal - How do I link my account?
sidebarTitle: Passportal
---

# Overview

To authenticate with Passportal, you need:
1. **API Access Key ID** – Your Passportal API Access Key ID.
2. **HMAC Token** – A pre-generated HMAC-SHA256 hash token (base64 encoded).
3. **Content String** – The plain text message used to compute the HMAC token.
4. **Base URL** – Your Passportal instance domain (e.g., `mycompany.passportalmsp.com`).

This guide walks you through generating your API credentials and HMAC token for Passportal.

### Prerequisites:

- Access to your Passportal account with API permissions.

### Step 1: Find your Passportal base URL

Log into your Passportal dashboard and check the URL at your browser address bar.
If your URL is `https://mycompany.passportalmsp.com/dashboard` → Your Base URL is
`mycompany.passportalmsp.com`

### Step 2: Generate API Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

1. Log into your Passportal dashboard.
2. In the left pane, go to **Settings** > **API Keys**.
<img src="/integrations/all/passportal/passportal-settings.png"/>
3. Click **Create access key**.
<img src="/integrations/all/passportal/passportal-api-keys.png"/>
4. View the **Access key ID**, then click **Show key** to reveal the **Secret access key**.
<img src="/integrations/all/passportal/passportal-new-key.png"/>
5. Copy both the **Access key ID** and **Secret access key** to a secure location.

**Important**: The Secret access key is only viewable once in the Create access key dialog. After closing this dialog, it cannot be retrieved again.

See: [API Key Management Guide](https://documentation.n-able.com/passportal/userguide/Content/api/api_key_management.htm)

### Step 3: Generate HMAC Token

You need to create an HMAC-SHA256 token using:
- **Plain text message**: Choose a content string (e.g., `api-content-hash`). This text is not considered sensitive
- **Secret key**: Your Secret access key from Step 2
- **Algorithm**: SHA-256

Generate the HMAC token using Python:

```python
import hmac
import hashlib

secret_key = "YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY"
content = "api-content-hash"
hmac_token = hmac.new(secret_key.encode(), content.encode(), hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
print(hmac_token)
```

Store both the **HMAC token** and the **content string** you used – you'll need both.

See: [Create HMAC Token Guide](https://documentation.n-able.com/passportal/userguide/Content/api/api_create_hmac.htm)

### Step 4: Enter your details in the Connect UI

Once you have your **API Access Key ID**, **HMAC Token**, **Content String**, and **Base URL**:
1. Open the form where you connect to Passportal.
2. Enter your **API Access Key ID**.
3. Enter your **HMAC Token** (the hexadecimal hash you generated).
4. Enter your **Content String** (the same text you used to generate the HMAC token, e.g., `api-content-hash`).
5. Enter your **Base URL** (e.g., `mycompany.passportalmsp.com`).
6. Click **Connect**.

<img src="/integrations/all/passportal/passportal-auth-form.png"/>

You are now connected to Passportal.

